News
AFTA announces 2013 National Travel Industry Awards finalists
Votes have been cast for the best of the best across 33 categories in the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) and the highest-ranked nominees have now been selected ahead of the award ceremony to be held on 20 July 2013.
AFTA chief Jayson Westbury congratulated all nominees and finalists and thanked the industry for once again getting behind the awards.
“Peer recognition is such an important measure of success and it’s great to see such strong ongoing industry support for the awards. The calibre of nominees is again extremely high this year so well done to all of our nominees and best of luck to our finalists.”
Select on Q-Eat now on more flights
Qantas has extended Select on Q-Eat, allowing business customers travelling internationally to pre-order their meal prior to flying. From today (for flights departing 23 May 2013), Qantas will extend Select on Q-Eat to flights from Singapore to Australia and flights between Australia, London and Dubai.
The extension is a result of the successful trial of Select on Q-Eat on flights from Los Angeles to Australia, which launched in September 2012 and on flights from Dallas to Brisbane in December 2012.
Travellers’ Choice Destinations awards
TripAdvisor yesterday announced the winners of its 2013 Travellers’ Choice Destinations awards. The fifth annual awards recognises 412 outstanding destinations in 38 markets across the globe, including lists for Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, China, Europe, India, Mexico, the Middle East, South America, the South Pacific, and the United States.
The Travellers’ Choice Destinations awards honour top travel spots worldwide based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined based on the popularity of destinations, taking into account travellers’ favourites and most highly rated places.
Personal travel manager heads to Lombok
Tracy Cosgriff (left) enjoys recognition of her top-selling status alongside Muhammad Anshori, General Manager, Garuda Indonesia, Yogyakarta and Deb Corbett, Marketing Manager, Garuda Orient Holidays, Sydney
Garuda Orient Holidays (GOH) has recognised personal travel managers Tracy Cosgriff and Angharad O’Malley, from Palm Beach, Queensland and Terrigal, New South Wales, as ‘Top Ten Sellers’.
They were invited to join the eight other top-selling agents in Australia on an all expenses paid trip to Lombok and Bali last March, courtesy of Garuda Orient Holidays.
“We wanted to say thank you to our top sellers for their continued loyalty and support for Garuda Orient Holidays in 2012,” said Deb Corbett, marketing manager for GOH.
Sand, soccer and sun in Tahiti
Air Tahiti Nui is gearing up for Tahiti’s first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup this September with some hot high season deals.
From September 18-28, Tahiti and her islands will be abuzz with football fanfare as the world’s best beach soccer teams pour into Papeete for the first Pacific-hosted tournament.
Air Tahiti Nui General Manager New Zealand Australia Mark Hutchinson said there were still seats available during the month and hotels on Tahiti and her surrounding islands had reported that there was plenty of availability.
UK car rental sale – 4 days left!
Compasscars’ Britain Sale ends this Saturday, 25 May. Deals start from $25 per day and include free 2nd driver across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
No cancellation fees*, no amendment fees and no upper age limit.
Call 1300 132 835 or visit www.compasscarrental.com.au
*Conditions apply
Delightful destination – Perth
The city of Perth is a gem nestled on the banks of the Swan River and its marvellous location is at the heart of the character of this most unusual of Australia’s capital cities. The nearest large city to Perth is Adelaide, which lies over 2000 km away and it is this isolation that has allowed Perth to develop such a distinctive personality.
Lying about 20 km inland from the sparkling Indian Ocean, Perth enjoys an unparalleled climate and is classed as one of only five Mediterranean climate regions in the world. Summers tend to be hot and dry, and most rain occurs in winter, however the temperatures still hover around 21 degrees C, so winter is still a fine time to visit. The city enjoys a wonderful quality of light, making it a favourite with artists and photographers.
Seabourn now offers shore excursion hotline
A Seabourn shore excursion
Seabourn offers more than 500 shore excursions in 200 ports around the world and with so much choice, the cruise line has launched a toll-free service to help Australian guests choose and book tours ahead of their cruise.
Seabourn guests can phone 1800 259 679 between 4.30am and 1.00pm from Monday to Friday and between 4.30am and 11.00am each Saturday to receive detailed information on shore tour options and assistance with booking their preferred tours.
Hotel offers gold iPads
Is this a case of hotel one-upmanship?
Burj Al Arab, the world-famous sail-shaped luxury hotel in Dubai, has just begun offering 24-carat gold-plated iPads to its in-house guests.
The gold iPads are fashioned from third-generation iPads by Gold & Co, the London-based manufacturer of gold-plated products.
Guests can use their gold iPads as a “virtual concierge,” containing information on the hotel’s restaurants, housekeeping services, and other amenities. If guests wish to take them home, they can buy the gilded tablets at the hotel’s boutique.
AFTA joins the ‘twittersphere’
The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) launched its Twitter account yesterday in a move to increase the organisation’s social media profile ahead of the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA), which takes place in July. According to AFTA chief, Jayson Westbury, Twitter is the “ideal channel” to showcase the benefits of dealing with AFTA members.
Using the @AFTAOfficial handle, AFTA’s first – and so far only tweet – said “Hello Twittersphere! The Australian Federation of Travel Agents is now on Twitter. #AusTravel”
Top Gear’s Clarkson puts foot in mouth – again
Jeremy Clarkson is famous for forgetting to engage his brain before putting his tongue in gear, and he’s done it again on Twitter.
After a flight to Scotland a couple of weeks ago he tweeted: “When will British Airways realise that babies belong in the hold?”
Business class fare offer until 28 May
Emirates has announced special business class airfares for passengers travelling from Australia to a variety of unique European destinations, starting from just $7,495 per person return to Milan.
Other business class return fares include Madrid from $7,498, Paris from $7,580, Rome from $7,502, Frankfurt from $7,569, London Gatwick from $7,784 and Manchester from $7,779 per person return, including all taxes and surcharges.*
The future is mobile
Today’s travellers are more connected than ever before. As the use of mobile services and apps continues to skyrocket, savvy agents are embracing advances in mobile technology to offer a more personalised service, power profitability for their business and stay ahead of changes in customer expectations.
The latest edition of The Thought Exchange features a panel of industry leaders who discuss the best way to take advantage of the latest mobile trends.
Gai Tyrrell, CEO at Sabre Pacific says there are plenty of ways agents can make the most of the mobile future.
Princess Cruises celebrate Japan
As the song goes “…turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so…” Princess Cruises brought Japan to Sydney, hosting a special themed day in its Sydney offices to celebrate the new season of Japanese cruises.
Customer service staff decked their office with Japan-inspired decorations and dressed in kimonos, while enjoying a lunch of sushi.
L-R: Danielle McCrea, Zach Gregory, Nicholas McHugh, Laura Denning and Damon Wiechni enjoy a special themed Japan day in Princess Cruises’ Sydney office.
World’s Best Airport award
Zurich Airport has been recognised by the highly prestigious Skytrax World Airport Award as the world’s best airport in the “20-30 million passengers” category. The airport has also been awarded the world’s best baggage claim service for the fourth consecutive year and for having the best airport staff in Europe.
Evelyn Lafone, Director of Switzerland Tourism Australia and New Zealand, says these awards are a fitting testament to the high standards of service provided to passengers at Zurich Airport.
“Being the welcome point to many tourists coming into the country by air, it is imperative that the quality of the services and facilities offered at the airport give visitors a good impression,” says Lafone.
